RBD (REM sleep behavior disorder) occurs in MSA, LBD, and Parkinson's Disease. This Swiss study is of 14 patients (10 with PD, 3 with MSA, 1 with DLB) who repeatedly laughed during REM sleep. "Nine of the 14 patients were depressed during daytime...suggesting a dissociation between emotional expression during daytime and REM sleep."

"Laughing belongs to the spectrum of behavioral manifestations of RBD." The patients also had other RBD-associated behaviors -- such as smiling, crying, aggressive behavior, screaming, and somniloquia.

AbstractBACKGROUND: Among the range of sleep-related behavior displayed by patients with rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD), aggressive acts are particularly common, while pleasant behaviors have rarely been reported. We aimed at identifying the frequency and characteristics of patients who displayed laughing as a pleasant, nonviolent manifestation of RBD.

METHODS: We reviewed 67 consecutive polysomnographic recordings of patients with RBD, obtained in our sleep laboratory between July 2004 and July 2009.

CONCLUSION: Laughing belongs to the spectrum of behavioral manifestations of RBD. Many of our patients with RBD-associated laughter were depressed, suggesting a dissociation between emotional expression during daytime and REM sleep.

That's pretty interesting Robin, thanks. My Ken (age 65 now) laughs often during rem sleep, for about the first half hour as he is falling asleep at night. He does not seem depressed during the day, although had been before being put on Zoloft. Sher

_________________Sher (53) married 29 years to Ken (66) who was diagnosed with LBD in 2008, but it most likely began many years before.

Fri Mar 04, 2011 11:00 pm

BernieD

Joined: Thu Dec 02, 2010 1:44 amPosts: 93

Re: Laughing during REM sleep

Fran also laughs in his sleep, at times his laughing is mixed with sounds of fear and anger. Many nights he is having a fight with someone...Bernie

Sat Mar 05, 2011 5:52 pm

Leone

Joined: Wed Oct 28, 2009 11:53 amPosts: 969Location: Ocala, FL

Re: Laughing during REM sleep

Even at this stage, Bernie, I prefer his smile and laughter to the fear that is apparent in his other delusions. His dreams are now more real to him than what is going on around him in his hospital bed. It would be nice if all his dreams were all about pleasant memories.

When he isn't sleeping, he whispers about floods, fires, and frauds. In fact, he just told me there was a fire upstairs. (We live on one level.)

Robinand BerieD. My LO also laughs during REM. She has spoke out load and it unstandable some of the time. She sometimes cries and shows extreme anger and within the same minute laughs. I have heard her ask for a store manager. She has directed her brother and sister as well as children what to do about something. There is never a long conversation or duration of the event. Usually happes within the first 30 minutes of sleep or when waking. She is not violent. She never moves during the incidents

Wed Mar 09, 2011 8:19 am

sferios

Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2011 11:26 pmPosts: 49Location: St Pete Beach, FL

Re: Laughing during REM sleep

My father is doing this now every night. He often smiles and laughs. He also shakes his limbs like all at once, like he's being electrocuted or something.

Tue Apr 19, 2011 10:10 pm

LTCVT

Joined: Fri Jan 15, 2010 9:33 pmPosts: 3441Location: Vermont

Re: Laughing during REM sleep

I'm glad he's smiling and laughing at least! Lynn

_________________Lynn, daughter of 89 year old dad dx with possiblity of LBD, CBD, PSP, FTD, ALS, Vascular Dementia, AD, etc., died Nov. 30, 2010 after living in ALF for 18 months.

Tue Apr 19, 2011 10:41 pm

mockturtle

Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2009 1:46 pmPosts: 3213Location: WA

Re: Laughing during REM sleep

sferios wrote:

He also shakes his limbs like all at once, like he's being electrocuted or something.

Derek used to do that--almost like a seizure. In fact I sometimes wondered if he was having a seizure but it only occurred in his sleep.

_________________Pat [68] married to Derek [84] for 38 years; husband dx PDD/LBD 2005, probably began 2002 or earlier; late stage and in a SNF as of January 2011. Hospitalized 11/2/2013 and discharged to home Hospice. Passed away at home on 11/9/2013.

Tue Apr 19, 2011 11:57 pm

irene selak

Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2009 2:59 pmPosts: 1978

Re: Laughing during REM sleep

Yes good way to put it " being electrocuted ", when my husband did it , it shook the whole bed and would only last just moments and like Pat's husband this only happened at night !

_________________Irene Selak

Wed Apr 20, 2011 11:26 am

BayouCajun

Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2011 3:02 pmPosts: 386Location: East TN

Re: Laughing during REM sleep

I have been toldâ¦.that this skaking occurs as the first outward sign that displays during my RBD episodesâ¦

I sometimes wake up during this timeâ¦..and 'I' knowâ¦.

I believeâ¦.that sometimes this 'time' is the same 'time' as the 'freeze' time in really bad RBD episodesâ¦.

Let me explainâ¦..during fight or flightâ¦..in the dreamsâ¦.they are using are saving 'your' lifeâ¦.not mineâ¦..sometimes mineâ¦.

butâ¦.sometimes in the saving 'my' lifeâ¦..(going by most vivid memories I recall)â¦.I 'freeze'â¦.

unable to 'fight' or 'flight'â¦..

I wonderâ¦â¦ifâ¦..

this freeze is similar to the freeze I have with vocalization when awake?

ieâ¦.the freeze while I am awake is thought to be that neuron channel unavailable at that momentâ¦.and the brain 'freezes' unable to perform the demanded requestâ¦..sometimes I recover and am able to complete the actionâ¦.sometimes I am not ableâ¦.stuck repeating that freeze over and overâ¦â¦sometimes after a while I recover and can do what I intended to doâ¦..sometimesâ¦.when I come out of the 'freeze'â¦.I am lostâ¦..not lostâ¦..I still know where I amâ¦..I know I wanted to get something doneâ¦.butâ¦.that momentâ¦.is goneâ¦.the intent is gone, because i don't remember what the thought was anymoreâ¦.

soâ¦..back to RBDâ¦..freezesâ¦..I wonderâ¦..if the RBD freeze is a similar eventâ¦.that neuron channel isn't availableâ¦..and likewise to being awakeâ¦.the brain can't perform the requested demandâ¦.and I am stuckâ¦..in the 'freeze' in RBDâ¦â¦

so, during the RBD episodeâ¦..a 'normal' RBD episode would be my physical actions during sleep would and 'DO' mimic what I am dreamingâ¦.soâ¦this skaking, is mimicking my 'dream' with accurate physical actions during my sleepâ¦..my dreamâ¦..is frozeâ¦..and repeatingâ¦..

soâ¦..take one more stepâ¦..the times that it wakes me at this timeâ¦..the 'freeze' is so VIOLENT' â¦..that is it is waking me up from sleepâ¦..

some of the memories of thisâ¦..is at the moment of â¦..attemptingâ¦â¦ATTEMPTINGâ¦.to pull the triggerâ¦..to kickâ¦..this is a common oneâ¦.to plunge the knife intoâ¦.the bad guyâ¦..â¦.EDIT: to add: I have distinct memories of this freeze moment that wakes me upâ¦.duplicates the awake oneâ¦.ieâ¦.I am attempting to thrust the knifeâ¦.but it is not movingâ¦.or not moving very muchâ¦.or it is pushing backâ¦..and the exertion to complete the action in my RBD episode then wakes me upâ¦..with ************** A VERY VIOLENT ACTIONâ¦â¦OF ONE OF MY LIMBS, MIMICKING THE ACTION I WAS ATTEMPTING IN THE DREAMâ¦..or the most common oneâ¦.is attempting to kickâ¦.and not being able toâ¦.very frustrating... â¦.since I can't see the effect of it landingâ¦..

â¦â¦there are some that are missing outâ¦.not talking to meâ¦..time is limitedâ¦.there is an urgencyâ¦.those around meâ¦.don't get itâ¦..

â¦..the increase dose of donepezilâ¦.and the addition (again) of Provilgilâ¦..is making such a differentâ¦.â¦..it also is increasing all the bad effects of my diseaseâ¦.tradeoffsâ¦and the insight to recognize themâ¦.

EDIT: Just had another thoughtâ¦.since this is what wife said was first sign of RBD espisode to 'Her'â¦..could it beâ¦.that the freeze moment in a 'regular' â¦.REM dreamâ¦â¦is the 'TRIGGER' to flip to RBD dream episodeâ¦..

soâ¦.lets go science fiction for a momentâ¦.if this was the triggerâ¦..for RBDâ¦.a 'freeze' momentâ¦.if the neuron channel could be reroutedâ¦.like switching a train to a side trackâ¦..â¦..I am sure someone is working on thatâ¦..just dreamingâ¦..delusions of fixing itâ¦.

soâ¦..I guess the question would beâ¦.where to make connections?then, leave them in place? or make them dynamic?of course I realise, this could be a physical or a chemical connectionâ¦.which I assume aricept type agent to be chemical connection enhancerâ¦.

what if we could floatâ¦..chemical agent bridge connectorsâ¦..sort of standby chemical agentsâ¦.would have to pass brain barrierâ¦.

soâ¦.I can still dream while awake tooâ¦

there is so much going on in this mindâ¦.and I sit here aloneâ¦.a shameâ¦.

How interesting, Craig. Do you know if you laugh in your sleep? I imagine (just a guess) that those who laugh are doing it outside of an RBD dream, since those are not funny!

I don't recall Coy having any of these "freeze" moments others talk about. But he has not had many RBD episodes for years -- probably less than 5 in the 8 years he has also had LBD, because klopin is so effective for him.

Your theory that the freeze episode in a dream is similar to freeze episodes while awake sounds very plausible.

Do you till have RBD episodes even on medication?

_________________Jeanne, 68 cared for husband Coy, 86. RBD for 30+ years; LDB since 2003, Coy at home, in early stage, until death in 2012

Klonopin totally eliminates the RBD dreams for Coy. If I forget one night he definitely will have the dream. The drug is no cure, but it is marvelously effective for Coy when taken.

Lately he has had many more dreams, although I'm not sure that any of them are the RBD variety. But lately he has been sleeping a LOT more, because of his illness. Long enough, I imagine, for the nighttime pills to wear off. We will be very glad when this illness is over!

Last night he got up and went into the kitchen for juice. He fell. Sigh. I watched it happen but I was a whole room away. No injuries. I got him up, got his walker, got his juice, and after he finished it we both went to bed. Sometime later he got up again and when I shook myself awake I followed him. He was settled into my recliner. So I slept on the couch to be near. Today I asked him how he happened to be sleeping in my chair instead of his own. He said that he'd been dreaming that we were at a friend's house and he couldn't remember where their guest room was so he settled into the first chair he came to. I don't know whether that was a dream or a delusion, but it definitely was not an RBD dream. I was kind of surprised that he had an explanation.

As I say, I am really looking forward to this illness clearing up.

_________________Jeanne, 68 cared for husband Coy, 86. RBD for 30+ years; LDB since 2003, Coy at home, in early stage, until death in 2012

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